Urgent garlic mustard info and recipe

Trees Forever, headquartered in Marion, Iowa, offers a timely reminder about the invasive garlic mustard plant and sent along info about pulling garlic mustard at Beverly Park in Cedar Rapids. The Linn Area Mountain Bike Association is asking for help pulling out garlic mustard at the park in the next week or so. Rob Johnson, environmental chair, said the group is asking people to rally this Sunday, May 2, 2010, from 1 to 3 p.m.  at the parking area off of 37th Ave SW (where the kiosk is).

Here's more from the group:

 URGENT:   A huge  crop of 2nd year GARLIC MUSTARD is flowering in Beverly Park and it is urgent that as many people put as much time as possible into pulling it before it develops seed pods. The park is on 37th Avenue off 21st Street SW.

When:  We need to hit it as hard as possible right now before the seed pod develops. Rain or shine. Depending on the weather  we may have about a week or so.

WHY:  Garlic mustard poisons the soil so other plants can't grow, including tree seedlings.Ultimately it will kill all other plants in the park 

What it looks like:  Right now it is the only plant with small white flowers. It is 1 to 3 feet tall and you can't miss it - it is everywhere..It is easy to find pictures on the internet. I'll put a sign by some in the parking lot.

HOW TO ACT:  Pull the plants straight up by the roots and drop them. Don't make piles.  Recent research indicates that the plants at this point have put so much energy into flowering that they can't redevelop. Besides, there is way too much to bag.

Work especially among other stands of plants like Mayapples, sedge and Jack in the Pulpits. This is mainly in the front of the park starting at the trail head. Try not to trample good stuff.

If you have a weed wacker, there are acres of the stuff along the old farm road back where trails 4c, 7 and 8 intersect. Take it down low, there are few other plants there now.

Clothes:  Wear gloves, long sleeve shirt and pants.  I've seen very little poison ivy and it is very small now. There are a few thornies to watch out for.

NOTE: 33rd is closed, so you need to get to Beverly via Wilson Ave and 18th St SW.

If you know of any other garlic mustard pulling events, please add the info in a comment or send to: cindy.hadish@gazcomm.com

Now here's the info from Trees Forever: It's spring again and the woods are full of beautiful wildflowers for you to enjoy. Now imagine that a single plant has taken over the woods, pushing out all of your spring favorites. Unfortunately this woodland ‘super plant' is all too real, and it's spreading through the woods.

It's called garlic mustard and it was brought to the US by European immigrants who used its nutritious garlic flavored leaves and roots. Unfortunately, it escaped from home gardens and has caused great damage to woodlands in the Eastern US where it grows aggressively and shades out native plants.

Garlic mustard is biennial, meaning that it lives for two years. It sprouts in the early spring (its leaves have a natural anti-freeze) and develops into a low growing cluster of rounded leaves that resemble violets or creeping charlie but smell like garlic when crushed. In its second year of life garlic mustard sends up tall leafy stems tipped with white flowers that develop into long skinny seed pods.

Garlic mustard spreads when its tiny black seeds are unintentionally carried by people and pets to new locations. You can keep garlic mustard under control by hand weeding it in springtime before its seeds develop. The entire plant, roots and all, must be removed, so a dandelion digger is helpful. The plants must be completely removed from the woodlands in bags. They can be landfilled (not composted) or if you're adventurous, eaten!

Garlic mustard leaves get bitterer as they age, so it's best to use the tender young leaves. They can be mixed in salads with milder greens, used to make pesto or steamed like spinach. The leaves are high in vitamins A and C. The following recipe was developed by Robert Dunn, Executive Chef at the Belmont Conference Center in Maryland.

Whatever you choose to do with your bags full of garlic mustard, it's important that you get out there and start pulling as soon as possible. It may seem like a lot of work for little green plants, but the future of your forest is truly at stake.

Garlic Mustard and Spinach Raviolis with Garlic Mustard Pesto

Raviolis:

4 shallots / 1 clove garlic

2 cups spinach

2 cups garlic mustard

4 oz. ricotta cheese

2 oz. Parmesan cheese

2 oz. chopped sun dried tomatoes

6 sheets fresh pasta

Sauté shallots and garlic in 2 Tbl butter until tender. Add spinach and garlic mustard greens & wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and cool slightly. Squeeze excess liquid from green and chop. Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Cut pasta sheets to desired size. Eggwash pasta and fill with garlic mustard and spinach mixture.

Pesto:

1 cup garlic mustard

½ cup basil

3 cloves garlic

2 oz. toasted pinenuts

4 oz. olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

In food processor combine all ingredients except olive oil. Puree and add olive oil with processor running. Toss cooked raviolis with pesto.

Time required: 1 hr. Serves 10